


Favoring Fortuna

by RikaRose



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Adult Content, Bayley POV, Complete, Epilogue, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Minor Character(s), Moving On, Multiple Sex Positions, Romance, Sex, Shower Sex, WWE NXT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-04-04 13:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14021010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikaRose/pseuds/RikaRose
Summary: She just wants to be indifferent to her ex so she can finally move on. She's heard plenty about Finn, but she doesn't reallyknowhim, and she has no idea why he's so willing to help her, or how he seemed to take over so quickly. Suddenly she's got her hands so full just trying to figure him out that she doesn't have time to worry about her ex, and she's not sure if that's a good thing or not.





	1. Chapter 1

He was there again tonight with that whore. It was bad enough that he'd cheated on her, but it added insult to injury that she had to see them all of the time, even at work. Even better the hallway was half full with some of the roster, and too many of them were the people that she'd thought were her friends until they'd decided to pick sides. She was so done with the whole situation and just wished she could get away from it all. It would be a whole lot easier to move on if he didn't always seem to be wherever she was, intent on making her life hell, and anything she'd once felt for him had slowly morphed into an unwelcome, seething hatred. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to convince her to come back to him or if he wanted her to be as miserable as possible, but she didn't care what he wanted, she just wanted him to leave her alone.

As soon as she walked in the whore muttered something under her breath. Bayley couldn't even hear what it was exactly, but she knew immediately it had been directed at her and it hadn't been kind. Most of the bystanders were laughing and looking at her. It pissed her off that they had the gall to act like they hadn't claimed to be her friends only a couple of months ago, and she could feel tears of anger welling up. She did not want any of them to see tears and think they'd gotten to her, so she gave them the dirtiest look she could before making her way out the door at the back that led outside. Thankfully it was dark, quiet, and deserted and she made her way over to one of the picnic tables and sat down to try and calm herself down.

To her surprise it was only a few seconds before she heard the door open again. For a moment she was scared her ex was going to follow her, but when she looked up she was surprised to see Finn Balor instead. Finn was a bit of a mystery to her. He'd joined the roster last September and his reputation from overseas had preceded him. He was in one breath awe-inspiring and terrifying if rumors were to be believed. She'd seen enough tape to know he was an amazing wrestler, but she'd also seen a guy who gave the impression that he didn't give a fuck about the world or what they thought of him. She'd been at once jealous and weary. Since he'd joined the roster though she'd been even more confused. He'd been selective in his choice of friends, but most of those that he'd chosen were people she liked and respected. Sami really seemed to like him and Becky had had nothing but praise for her fellow countryman.

"Are you okay?" he asked once the door closed behind him. She would never normally put her problems on the shoulders of someone who was virtually a stranger to her, but he'd caught her at a particularly vulnerable moment and instead of putting him off with the 'I'm fine' that she'd planned everything seemed to spill out of her at once,

"No, I'm not okay. I'm so sick of his bullshit, and I can't get away from him. I just want to be done with it all, but he won't leave me alone, and now I hate him. I don't want to hate him, I just want to be indifferent, I want to not care what he or that whore or any of the rest of those backstabbing assholes think."

"The only person who can change that though is you."

"How in the hell am I supposed to do that? And why do you care anyway?"

"About that asshole ex of yours? I could give a rat's ass about him, but you, well a lot of people around here really seem to like you, a lot of my friends seem to like you, and no one else was coming after you. People can be cruel, and sometimes that's even okay, everyone has reasons for doing what they do, but someone in there should have said something, and they didn't. I've seen you with some of those people before, I thought they were supposed to be your friends."

"Yeah, well, obviously not."

"So fuck them then. Show them they don't matter. You give them the power if you are going to just let them get away with it. As for your ex, you can take away his power too. Move on, find somebody else to fuck. Let him watch you without him and I guarantee he'll change tactics then. Besides a good nut would go a long way to taking your mind off of him and any hatred you feel." She could feel the heat bloom across her face at his bluntly honest description, thankfully it was dark enough that hopefully he couldn't see it.

"I'm not like Alexa or Dana. I don't have a million guys drooling over me that I can just call on when I feel like it."

"You're doing yourself a disservice by thinking like that, and how is that a bad thing anyway? Alexa has guys drooling after her because that's how she presents herself. She flaunts everything she's got and gives it all away for free so that she can have the illusion that everyone wants her. The truth is though that they only want her because they think they won't have to work for it. You have just as much to offer as she does, probably more, but they aren't going to approach you because they know that they will have to work for it with you."

She'd never thought about it that way before and it was very flattering to have a guy she barely knew-a very attractive guy-see her that way.

"Thank you. I appreciate you saying that, but it doesn't really solve my problem right now, besides if I go around looking for somebody new people will assume I'm desperate. Things are bad enough as it is, I don't need that too."

"I'll help you."

"What? Why?"

"I'll help you, let them think you've moved on so you actually can without people breathing down your neck, and because I want to. I trust my friend's judgement when they say you're a good person, and I don't like how they treated you in there. I think I'd really enjoy watching you tell all of those assholes to go fuck themselves."

"Okay, but how?" Instead of replying to her question he came over, stepped on the bench next to her and sat down on the top of the picnic table and said,

"Lean forward a little," she gave him a questioning look, unsure of what he doing, but did as he asked. He moved his leg and scooted over until he straddled her and said,

"I promise there is a purpose to this. Turn sideways and lean back against my leg here."

She did as he asked. The position that put them in was very intimate and very awkward, especially because she barely knew him. At least she was able to brace her arm against the top of his thigh to keep herself from laying too much against him. He leaned forward a little and started talking, his voice dropping to just above a whisper,

"Relax a little. None of your so called friends came after you, but I'm sure your ex won't be able to resist the chance to gloat once he's had his fill of attention in there. Show him he doesn't matter."

"Okay, but this is weird. No offense, but it's hard to relax being this close to someone I don't know."

"Stop thinking about it so much and get to know me. Ask me something, what are you curious about?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, I'll start. Who's your favorite wrestler?"

"That's easy. Macho Man. Has been since I was a little kid."

"Good choice. He was definitely larger than life and one of a kind."

"What's yours?"

"Too many to name honestly. I could give a half a dozen names. Guys I've worked with, guys I've wrestled against, legends I watched growing up. My friend Zack. I don't know if you've ever seen him, but he's an artist in the ring, and I miss my best friend Karl. I've really enjoyed it here so far, made a lot of new friends, but I can't wait for the day when I can have him by my side again."

"He was with you in Japan?"

"Yeah, have you seen any of my stuff from then?"

"Yeah, you were impressive, but I don't know. You guys weren't always very nice."

"No, you're right, we weren't, but like I said people have reasons for doing what they do."

"I guess that's true," she said, but before they could continue they heard the sound of the door opening, and it was her ex just as Finn had predicted. His tattooed, tanned skin and shining, dark hair were a stark contrast to the pale, handsome Irishman behind her, and she had to admit, when it came to looks, Finn had her ex beat.

Finn's voice dropped even lower as he whispered almost directly into her ear to ignore him. She searched her brain for another question to ask him which was enough to distract her for a moment, but as her ex got closer he said her name and she turned instinctively at the same time that Finn looked up. It gave her a little thrill to see the look on her exes face at the picture they must have presented. Finn was the first to speak and said,

"Can we help you?"

"I was talking to Bayley."

"No, I was talking to Bayley. You interupted us. Now what do you need?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure she was okay." Bayley knew now was the time to do what Finn had said and show him he didn't matter, so she said,

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked shocked, and she realized that maybe she had been letting him get away with too much. She held her ground continuing to stare at him as he stood there gaping at her before he finally closed his mouth and turned and walked away. After the door closed behind him she started to move away, but Finn stopped her.

"We don't want to take the chance that he will come back, stay here for a bit. Who are you riding with this weekend?"

"Emma and Dana unfortunately. I used to ride with Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky, but they've been traveling a lot more, I think they are going to get moved up soon, and I've had to resort to those two."

"Tell them they will have to find someone else to ride with, you can ride with me."

"I don't know Finn. I'm not sure that this is the best idea. It was really nice of you to help put my ex off for the moment, but I don't think this is going to work for more than that."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think people would believe it. I'm not the kind of girl that that kind of thing happens to. I'm not Disney-princess pretty. I'm just a girl-gamer geek who's been obsessed with wrestling my whole life."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Have you seen yourself? You are way out of my league. No one would buy it."

"Are you trying to piss me off?"

"What? No."

"I hate when people say stuff like that."

"Why? It's not an insult to you."

"Yes it is. Like I would choose who I want to be with over something so shallow. Besides when you say you aren't Disney-princess pretty all that means is you aren't a cookie-cutter cutout like everyone else, and that is not a bad thing. The opinions of the idiots your ex surrounds himself with, those people back in the hall, they don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but don't worry we'll make them believe it anyway. Now about your ride, do you really want to ride with those two?"

"No, I wouldn't if I didn't need to save money on gas."

"Ride with me then. You can ask me more questions and get to know me better."

"Okay."

"Great, let me see your phone," she pulled it out, unlocked it and handed it to him. He put his number in then sent himself a text so he would have her number before handing it back and saying,

"Text me the directions to your place, and I'll pick you up in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Her apartment was barely bigger than a closet, but she still found herself rushing around trying to make sure she didn't miss a stray bra or anything embarrassing. His text that he was on his way had come a bit earlier than expected, and she was glad she hadn't lingered in bed this morning like she'd taken to doing ever since she'd started riding with Emma and Dana more. She was normally the one dragging them on the road at the last minute.

She felt shy when she opened the door for him, but just like last night (and she was beginning to think maybe with everything he did) he seemed to take charge.

"My apartment in Tokyo was bigger than this," he said as he stepped past her into the room.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone gives me hell about it. I don't usually spend a lot of time here though, and it's cheap."

"I'm not asking how much they pay you, but I know you have to make enough to afford something better than this."

"They do now, but that wasn't the case back in the beginning, and like I said I don't spend a lot of time here. I keep meaning to look for something a little better, but it just hasn't been a top priority. I'm on a short term lease though, so once I have the time, it won't be hard to get out of it, and it really isn't that bad considering it's just a place to sleep and store my stuff. I literally spend more hours at the PC then I do here."

"Still. You should have a space to chill and relax, not just a bed to sleep in."

"Yeah, well, that used to be his place, you know? For a while he hinted at and I thought we were getting to the point where I would just move in there, which is part of why I stayed here so long. Then I caught him there with her and I was grateful I had this."

"Yeah, I guess you were. You caught them together?"

"Yeah, in the same bed we'd slept in the night before, and he even had the nerve to try and apologize like that would magically make it all better."

"Fucking dickhead."

"You got that right in one, but now you see why I just want him out of my life."

"Yeah, well, I said I'd help with that, and I will, I promise. Are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my gear."

...

In the car she was quiet, not sure what to say. He glanced at her a few times, but let the soft background noise of the radio fill the silence for a little while. Eventually he said,

"Do you have anywhere in particular you want to stop for lunch?"

"I'm not picky, but if you want to there's a place that Sasha and I stopped at the last time we were headed this way that isn't bad. We might run into some of the roster though, a lot of people like it."

"That's fine, I know where you're talking about I think, Sami mentioned it."

"Did you know Sami before you came here?"

"No. I primarily wrestled in Europe and Japan before. I'd heard of him and Kevin, but we'd never crossed paths."

"Granted I don't know you that well, but you just seem so different than Sami."

"You've met Sami right? I'm pretty sure there is no one quite like him."

"Yeah, you're right, I guess I was just surprised after everything I'd heard about you before that happy, over enthusiastic Sami would be the guy that you became friends with."

"What exactly did you hear about me?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe that you used to call the fans 'motherfuckers' or pretend to shoot people in the head," to her surprise he laughed. He gave her a look that she wasn't sure how to interpret, it wasn't quite embarrassment, but he did seem to understand the mixture of awe and disgust she felt about it.

"You've got to understand that things were a lot different there. I'm grateful for Japan, grateful for everything I learned and the opportunities it afforded me, but there came a point where something had to be done. I was stuck in the mold they wanted me to be in, and I'd grown beyond it, but I was a _gaijin_ , a foreigner. They wanted me to be that perfect prince forever, the token pretty boy who followed the rules and made the little fangirls happy, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. We were all tired of pretending to be who they wanted us to be, so we took charge, made a mockery of their traditions, and they both loved and hated us for it. I know for you that feels wrong, and it wouldn't have worked here, but it was freeing, and one of the happiest times in my life."

"So why'd you leave then?"

"Because I'd grown beyond that too, and I'd found the demon, or least the beginning of the demon. It was time to see what the world beyond Japan would make of it."

"That was a pretty big risk, leaving that behind, they might have hated you for it at first, but the rest of the world was starting to take notice regardless."

"I know, but I'm not afraid of risk. I go after what I want and I wanted more."

"I envy you that."

"Why? Don't you go after what you want?"

"Sometimes I guess. I mean, I'm here, I'm living my dream, working for the biggest wrestling company in the world, not scraping by at some community college in San Jose, so that's something."

"But?"

"It's just that I am not and have never been, nor want to be 'diva' material. Working for the WWE isn't going to mean much if that's all they are going to have to offer me."

"Becky's told me a little bit about what you and Sasha and Charlotte and her have talked about. It sounds to me like you guys are going to make it happen."

"They are, for sure, but they at least can pretend to fit that mold a little, fool everyone until they get the chance to show them what we're really capable of, but I fit that mold least of all and I have a feeling that's why they are going to get moved up and I'm not."

"So you can't be the one that makes that first move. Let them be the ones to break through, and then once they've broken through and made room for you they'll welcome you with open arms. They consider you one of them or at least Becky does I know, and in the meantime you keep making an impact here, help lead the next group of girls into the new era you guys are working to create."

"I don't know if I'm the leader type. I feel like I'm going to be lost without them."

"Or maybe you will find that you have more in you than you thought once you have all of that extra room to spread your wings."

"You don't really know me well enough to know that."

"I know I've seen enough to say you don't give yourself nearly enough credit. I know that coaches and friends alike all point to you and say watch out for that one because she's destined for big things."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know all of this bullshit with your ex has had your mind and heart distracted, but there is no doubt in my mind you are going to hold that championship before it's over with, and that's coming from someone who doesn't know you that well."

She wasn't sure what to say to that. She kind of felt like she was floating, his words offering a much needed boost to her confidence. He was right that she had been letting her personal life distract her from her goals, but maybe now was the time to forge ahead, with Finn's offer to help her get her ex and his lackey's off her back, maybe she could get back to her first love, wrestling.

While she'd been lost in thought, he'd pulled up outside the restaurant they'd discussed earlier, and then they were both distracted with the process of ordering their food and finding a table. They hadn't been seated long when they heard the distinctive voice of Sami, their mutual friend that had featured so heavily in their conversation earlier in the day along with some other members of the NXT Roster. Bayley had her back to the entrance and couldn't see him, but Sami must have seen Finn because he approached their table and greeted him.

"Finn!"

"Hey Sami," Finn said grinning.

It was interesting to watch them during the short time it took Sami to notice her. Sami was his usual self, in love with life and not afraid to show his enthusiasm for the world around him, but Finn was different, different from what she'd thought she'd known of him before, but also different from the Finn she'd seen since he'd approached her last night. He'd instantly seemed more relaxed, and it was like a little of his friend's carefree enthusiasm had rubbed off on him. She could see-not why they'd become friends necessarily-but why the friendship had lasted. It also made her more aware of how almost predatory Finn had been towards her, especially when Sami did finally notice her. It was like a switch had been flipped as he turned his eyes on her again and she could feel a shiver roll up her spine in response to his intensity.

"Bayley! Hey, sorry I didn't notice you there for a second. I'm so glad you guys finally had a chance to meet. I've been telling Finn for awhile now how awesome you are, and how I thought you guys would get along great if you ever had a chance to talk."

"Thanks Sami, I appreciate that," she said feeling her cheeks warm a little at the praise.

"Sure, sure, so everyone's going out after the show tonight, you guys in? You can invite your ride along too Bayley." She loved how his face scrunched up when he'd said her ride, knowing he assumed it was Emma and Dana, but got tongue-tied when she realized she had to explain who it actually was. When he realized she was struggling, Finn spoke up instead,

"Um, Sami? I'm her ride."

"Oh," he said, paused for a minute then repeated himself almost dramatically, "Ooohh. I'm sorry guys, I didn't realize. No worries then, you guys have fun tonight. You know what? I think I'm going to get out of your hair, let you enjoy your lunch, yeah?" He said though he was grinning weirdly at them, and it took her a full minute after he'd walked away for her brain to catch up to why.

"Oh my god, Sami thought," she paused not even being able to bring herself to say it and Finn smirked at her and said,

"What?"

"Sami thought that this is some kind of date or something, why didn't you say anything?"

"Why would I? Isn't that the whole point of what we are doing?"

"Because it isn't real,and he's our friend."

"Which means people are actually going to believe it when he says something, and you know he won't be able to resist saying something. Besides, why don't we let you and I worry about what's real and what isn't, and leave everybody else out of it."

"I don't know. Are you sure it's not going to bother you later to have everyone, not just my ex and his friends, but your friends and my friends, and everyone we know think something about you that isn't true?"

"What, that I'm spending time with an admirable, beautiful woman? Pretty sure that's not going to bother me, and at the end of the day it's not any of their business anyway, and I love Sami, but he's not exactly subtle. Do you really want to try and explain everything about your ex to him while sitting in a restaurant where anyone can listen in?"

"No, I guess not," she admitted.

"You're over-complicating it. Sami really has been telling me for months now that I would enjoy your company if I got the chance, and he was right. I've really liked getting to know you better so far. Why don't we focus more on that, not stress so much over what everyone thinks is going on, and just let everything else work itself out. We'll do what we have to do to take care of your ex, and if other people make assumptions too, so be it."

"If you're sure."

"Yeah. I wouldn't have offered in the first place if it was going to be a problem."

...

After lunch they got back on the road and Finn spent the rest of the afternoon keeping her engaged in less heavy conversation topics. After a while they'd started taking turns naming a favorite category and then both answering it.

"Favorite food?"

"Mexican."

"Yeah? Like tacos and quesadillas, or more authentic stuff?"

"Both, and tex-mex too. I like it all. I guess that's one of the things I did get from my heritage because I definitely don't speak a whole lot of Spanish."

"Really? I do actually. I worked in Mexico for a little while"

"Wow, I didn't know that, that's cool. Do you speak Japanese?"

"A little. I understand Japanese, mostly anyway, but it's a complicated language. Even after eight years there. Of course the schedule there let me go home a lot more frequently too."

"That must have been nice."

"It was. One of the things I miss the most actually. I could almost live a double life. I'd spend a few weeks in Japan, where I was a star, but I got to wrestle, do what I love, then I'd go home, and spend a few weeks in Ireland where I was just a regular guy and I got to do regular guy things."

"It seems like you were really happy there."

"I was. I would have been okay with finishing out my career there, if there hadn't been that chance to do even more. I never would have forgiven myself though if I hadn't taken that chance. How did you end up here?"

"I trained in California of course, did a few things here and there, then one day I got a tryout, got that chance as you said. I was the only woman there who'd actually trained as a wrestler, so I spent half the tryout helping all of these other women out, thinking I never really got the chance to show them anything good, but it turned out, that's what got me the job."

"And you don't think you're leadership material?"

"I was just doing what I'd been taught."

"There are plenty of people who would have resented the fact that they'd been stuck with a bunch of people who didn't know what they were doing. They would have spent the whole tryout focused on that, not helping them. You are going to make a great champion."

"Yeah well, I have to become a champion first, I keep letting it slip through my fingers."

"You'll get there, all in good time. We might even hold those championships at the same time."

"You're so sure of yourself, so sure you are going to get that championship."

"Well yeah. If you're in this business and you're not reaching for a title, than what's the point? And it's what I came here for. I have to know inside of me that I'm going to take that title. Whether it's from Neville or Sami or whoever, when I get my shot, I know it's mine."

"I've felt that way before, but then I fail. I've been so close, and so sure, and I still couldn't do it."

"So it wasn't your time yet, that's okay, just don't let that stop you from being just as confident, just as sure the next time."

"Yeah, easier said then done, but yeah, I get what you're saying."

"It's your turn."

"Okay, um, favorite animal?"

"A giraffe."

"Really? Okay, why?"

"I don't know, I just like them, some things you just like, you know, how about you?"

"Dogs. I love dogs. All dogs, all shapes and sizes."

"Why don't you have one then?"

"You've seen my apartment, right? Even if I could have one there, even a small dog would be too much, and I know, we've already established that I really should get a bigger apartment anyway, but even then it wouldn't be fair. I travel so much already, and that's only going to get worse, and I don't have any family nearby who could look after a pet for me."

"I could see you being one of those dog parents that treats your dog like a child."

"I wouldn't be that bad, not like to the ridiculous levels some people take it to anyway, but yeah I probably would be a little silly about it," she admitted and he grinned at her as he pulled the car into the lot outside the night's venue. The parking lot was still fairly empty and she realized they'd arrived quite a bit early. They busied themselves with getting their gear together and headed for the entrance.


	3. Chapter 3

When they made it through the entrance they found themselves in a long hall that was wide enough that there were a few couches lined along the walls. She had a feeling that this is where most of the wrestlers and crew members would end up hanging out that night, since most of the time the space allotted as a locker room was not very big or comfortable. They were there so early she could see a janitorial cart holding open the door at the other end of the hall, and she suspected, which was then confirmed a few seconds later by a staff member, that they might have to wait a little bit to get through.

They laid their stuff down in the floor next to one of the couches, and she was about to sit down when Finn got her attention.

"I have an idea."

"What?" When he didn't elaborate immediately she turned to face him, curious. He had a strange look on his face. He looked her in the eye and said,

"I need to say something first because I need this to be clear. I may do some things that I have a feeling are going to push outside of your comfort zone. I think it's necessary to accomplish what we want to accomplish, but if I cross a line, if something really does bother you, just tell me to back off and I will, okay?"

"Okay," she replied hesitantly, nervous about what he was going to do that would necessitate the warning. It didn't take her long to understand why though, he sat down at the end of the couch, pulling her down with him as he did, so that she ended up literally falling in his lap.

Before she could protest or question anything he said,

"No one is ever going to believe you want anything to do with me if you are always so stiff and uncomfortable around me. Try to relax a little," he said then he pulled her legs up onto the couch so she was sitting sideways in his lap. She was still stunned by his actions, even with the warning, then stunned turned into something else entirely, something she was embarrassed to admit even to herself, as he ran one hand up her back then gently tucked her hair back with it while resting the other hand on the outside of her thigh. He leaned close until his lips were almost ghosting across the skin of her neck, and she couldn't help the shiver that went through her. Her heart had kicked into overdrive, pounding fiercely as he said,

"We're going to stay like this until your ex goes by." When she didn't respond to him, he asked,

"Is this okay?" She couldn't get her brain to produce a coherent response, so what came out was a muffled 'mmhh' sound. He brought his lips even closer to her ear and repeated the question as he slowly ran his hand a little further up her thigh and she could only manage to mumble unintelligibly again in response. She could almost hear the smile in his voice as he said,

"I'll take that as a yes," and she knew he knew what he was doing. He didn't say anything else, but he didn't need to. He had her completely mesmerized as other members of the roster began to trickle in. She could hear various voices that she recognized, but no one bothered them, and when she heard her exes voice, Finn leaned even closer. She shivered again at the feel of the bridge of his his nose nuzzling up her neck, and his lips brush against her jaw. It was the sound of a door slamming loudly, startling both of them, that finally pulled her back to reality. Everyone was looking at them, some blatantly, others trying to be more polite, and she could feel her face warm in response. Finn easily pulled them both to their feet, helping her gather her gear and ignoring the stares.

Right before they parted ways Finn leaned in and whispered to her,

"Don't let them get to you, remember you're going to be their champion, their leader, show them that."

...

She was glad she had Finn's words fresh in the back of mind as she walked into the locker room. Of course the small space contained no actual lockers, just a few fold out tables and chairs. Many of the spots available had already been claimed, but she saw a decent one not too far from the door that was still open. She walked over to it without hesitation, ignoring the eyes that followed her, but smiling and returning the greeting of those that said hello.

She'd started unpacking her gear when Emma and Dana walked over. Emma asked,

"When did you start seeing Balor?"

"What do you mean?" She asked deciding she wouldn't let them corner her into saying more than she wanted. Dana said,

"Sweetie, everyone saw you in his lap in the hall."

When she responded by only acknowledging Dana's words with a low hum of agreement Emma said,

"I didn't know you even talked to him." Bayley replied,

"I talk to everyone," looking pointedly at them she continued, "even people I don't want to sometimes." Both ignored her intentional jab at them and Emma said,

"I thought you were trying to work things out with your ex."

"Hell no. Why would you think that? I wouldn't go back to him even if you paid me to. He's a lying, cheating, son of a bitch."

"Woah. Tell us how you really feel."

"Sorry, but yeah, not really sorry. Seriously, what gave you that idea?"

"That's what he's been telling everyone."

"He's delusional, and you're crazy for believing it. Why would I ever take someone back after I caught them cheating? That would be stupid." Neither seemed to know what to say to that and for a second she thought she'd managed to shut them up, but of course she wouldn't be so lucky.

"So give us the details, what's he like?" Emma asked, then Dana followed with,

"Oooo, how big is he? All the girls wanna know."

"Okay, that is so not yours or anybody else's business."

"Aw, come on, tell us something."

"He's..." she paused trying find that right words, " _intense_." Though she'd been referring to his laser focus on everything, his self-assuredness and drive, the way it had come out had sounded more like she was talking about...other things. A conclusion she could tell the two women across from her had also come to. They both grinned at her like she'd shared a secret.

She wasn't exactly close with either of the two women, but she had to admit she'd come to tolerate them a little better after being forced to spend so much time with them, and she supposed people might even assume that they were her friends. Between her talk with them, Sami's assumptions and the scene in the hall earlier that night, she'd found that by the time the show was over with, everyone had come to the conclusion that she and Finn were together. At least most people did anyway, apparently her ex had either missed the memo or he just didn't believe it because when everyone was congregated in the hall discussing their plans for the evening he approached her.

He'd tried to convince her to come out with him and his friends that night, laying it on thick about how much he'd missed her company and he even tried to guilt trip her by reminding her of their tradition of getting a first beer together after a show (something they hadn't done in months anyway). She kept trying to put him off, but he wasn't getting it. While she had no problem with putting him in his place, she'd been really reluctant to cause a scene with so many people around, which is why she hadn't been quite as forceful in her refusal as she should have been. He'd just about driven her to the point where she would have snapped on him anyway if it hadn't been for Sami. Right after her ex had ignored her refusal for the fourth time Sami had stepped in and said,

"Dude, take a hint, she's probably trying to not hurt your feelings, but let it go before she embarrasses you."

Instead of listening to him, her ex brushed it off and told Sami to 'mind his own business' and then even the affable Sami got angry,

"Look she's already told you she's has other plans, but since you don't want to listen let me spell it out for you a little clearer. If Finn gets out here and finds you harassing her he's going to tear you a new one, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who'd be happy to watch him do it."

At that point she knew things would only get worse. Sami's words only ignited her ex's anger. He got up in Sami's face and started shouting and cursing at him about it being none of his or Finn's business, and then Sami shoved her ex away from him and it probably would have escalated quickly if it hadn't been for the arrival of Finn and Kevin. The two immediately responded. Kevin pulled Sami away and started calming him down while Finn had obviously assessed the situation and realized what must have happened. He'd grabbed her, surprising her by wrapping his arms around her, and was trying to pull her away as well, but neither had realized just how volatile her ex was at that point. He went to throw a wild punch at Finn which would have missed and hit her instead if it hadn't been for Finn's lightening quick reflexes. He actually caught her ex's fist in his hand. He'd surprised not only her and her ex, but judging by the immediate hush that fell over the room, everyone else as well. Her ex looked like a deer in headlights, the expression on his face completely stunned. Finn looked like he could murder him with a single glance, his eyes pure ice.

"If you ever do that again you'll be pulling teeth out of the back of your head," he growled, his voice so low and fierce that there was no doubt in anyone's mind how serious he was. There was a tense moment where she was afraid her ex was still going to push it before he shoved away from them and said,

"Fuck you man," and walked away. She knew all eyes were on them, but couldn't help herself from collapsing against Finn in relief. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if Finn or Sami got in trouble because of her. She really should have dealt with her ex herself, but there was no backtracking now, they were too involved in the whole situation, and she was glad at least that they'd managed to come out of it unscathed.

"You want to get out of here?" Finn asked and and she answered,

"Yes," immediately. She desperately wanted to go home and escape from it all, even if that meant essentially hiding herself away in her tiny apartment. She'd already learned though that Finn was a 'face things head on' kind of guy, and she wasn't surprised he wouldn't let her just do that.

On their way out to the car Finn was busy on his phone and when they got there he told her,

"Kevin's going to to take Sami with a couple of the guys and go somewhere away from where the rest of the roster was planning on going. Your friends Emma and Dana cornered me and tried to convince me that you really wanted to come hang out with all of them tonight, but I'm guessing you don't want to do that."

"They are not my friends and no, I didn't want to before, and I definitely don't now."

"Let's go get some dinner then, hopefully we will avoid all of that crowd since we know where they are going."

"Can't we just go home?" she asked.

"Do you really want to make that whole drive without getting something to eat?"

Honestly before he asked she wouldn't have cared. She was too stressed out from the evenings events to care about food, but as soon as he asked, her stomach growled answering for her. He smirked and didn't wait for an actual answer as he got in the car. Once they'd pulled on the road he said,

"That had to happen, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"A confrontation with him was inevitable at some point. I'm sorry it ended up being so public when it did, but there's no use worrying over it."

"I hate being involved with a whole bunch of drama."

"I could tell, it's not exactly my favorite either, but until he's willing to let it go it's unavoidable."

"He didn't come out of that looking too great. He's not going to let it go."

"He's the douchebag who cheated on you, he's not going to come out of this looking good, but if he needs to keep at it for awhile before he realizes that, I can handle it."

"This is all just way more complicated than I thought it would be."

"I know you don't like all of the attention, but avoiding it wasn't working, remember?"

"Believe me I haven't forgotten."

"Besides, has spending time with me been all that bad?"

"What? No, of course not," she spluttered, not realizing at first that he'd said it just to distract her.

"I'm just teasing. I like you Bayley. It's easy to see why so many people do. No one there tonight thought for a second that you enjoyed all of the drama. Your real friends, the one's who matter, know you aren't like that, and like I said I can handle it."

He pulled up outside of a restaurant, a local place she'd never been to, and the conversation was put on hold for the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

The restaurant they walked into was kind of cozy with warm lighting and a lot of high backed booths. It was the kind of place that was low key enough to be appropriate for families, but nice enough to work for dates as well. She was just happy it appeared comfortable and deserted. Since it was so late and the place was mostly empty they were told they could just pick a table. Finn chose one off to the side that was out of the main flow of traffic, but when they went to sit down, Finn wouldn't let her sit across from him.

"I thought we were past you being uncomfortable around me. Come sit next to me." She didn't understand why it mattered, but slid in the booth next to him anyway and he draped his arm across the back behind her. They were quiet as they looked over the menus and placed their orders. It looked like he was about to say something when the sound of the distinctive voices of Enzo, Carmella, and Cass could be heard, and they both looked over to see the three along with a few others enter the restaurant. Finn looked irritated for a moment before his face calmed into a blank mask and she could no longer tell what he was thinking or feeling. She did notice that his arm dropped from the back of the seat to around her shoulder, subtly pulling her closer.

The small group got settled pulling tables together on the other side of the restaurant, but Carmella had spotted them and she came over. Bayley had always liked Carmella. They weren't close, but the sassy, sweet personality combined with the bold attitude had always clicked with her, and she'd always thought it was a shame they'd never really spent a lot of time together.

"Hey girl!" She said excitedly, "I promise I won't bother you long. I know you guys probably want some privacy. I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you." Before Bayley had a chance to reply the looming figure of Cass appeared behind his girlfriend.

"Hey man that move you did tonight was bad-ass," he said putting his hand out for a 'too sweet' that Finn returned. Carmella was true to her word though, she said,

"Come on babe, let's let them enjoy their date. See you guys later!" and the two rejoined their group. After they were gone Finn asked,

"How come you don't hang out with Carmella more instead of those other two? You seem to get along with her pretty well."

"I know, and I was just thinking the same thing. I guess when I met her my relationship with my ex was still so new. He didn't like her, and I didn't want to rock the boat, so I didn't really pursue a friendship with her, but looking back that kind of pisses me off. I know I can come off as being a pushover sometimes, but I'm really not, and I hate looking back and seeing that I did stuff like that for him."

"I don't think you're a pushover. Everyone does stupid stuff when it comes to relationships, and you can't really do anything about the past so there's no use getting down on yourself about it, besides there's nothing stopping you from pursuing a friendship now."

"That's true, and I really could use an ally in the locker room if I'm not going to have my girls around." He grinned at her, and she wasn't sure what she'd said to cause such as response so she asked, "What?"

"It's just that you seem to see yourself as someone who others perceive as weak, but I can tell you know that isn't really true. You think like a fighter, like a leader, a champion. Once you get it out of your head that everyone else thinks that way, it's going to be amazing to watch." She had no idea what to say to that. He was so hard to read but he seemed to have that same faith and assuredness in her that he had in himself, and it amazed her. Despite all of the drama she was grateful for everything he'd been willing to do for her, and felt guilty for everything he'd had to put up with.

"I'm sorry you've had to deal with all of this."

"I really don't mind, but I get the feeling you don't believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you, I just think maybe you might not have realized it would mean going this far. It's one thing to fool my ex, but now everyone thinks that we are dating, and it just keeps getting more and more complicated. And you did seem kind of mad when they walked in here, not that I blame you, I know it's got to be at least a little aggravating to deal with all of this."

"I was mad because I was hoping to spend some time with you that didn't involve either me driving or half the roster watching our every move, and I knew that this whole thing wouldn't be simple. I wanted to get to know you, and this let's me do that while helping you at the same time. Don't stress so much about it bothering me, if something really does become a problem I'll let you know, but honestly it's actually been kind of fun. Watching your ex come to the realization that he screwed up and there's nothing he can do to manipulate his way back into your good graces has been pretty amusing. Well except for the part where he threw a punch that could have hit you."

"I can take a punch."

"Of course you can, like I said you're a fighter, but taking a punch in a fight when you're prepared for it and taking one unexpectedly are two different things. He could have really hurt you, or for that matter anyone who was around us. It was reckless and stupid."

"You're not going to get any argument from me on that. He's not exactly known for thinking things through, which is what makes me nervous about how he is going to respond to being humiliated tonight."

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, in the meantime you shouldn't have to see him again until Monday, so you don't have to deal with it until then at least."

"If he doesn't show up at my place tomorrow. I wouldn't put it past him."

"He would come to your home uninvited?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Well, you'll just have to not be there in case he does."

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"You can hang out at my place tomorrow."

"Don't you want a break from all of this?"

"From the roster? Yes. From you? No. I told you I wanted to spend time with you without everyone watching us, and no one on the roster who knows where I live would show up without calling first. Did you have plans or something you needed to get done?"

"Just laundry."

"I have a washer and dryer, you can bring it with you."

"Okay, I guess. Sure." She wasn't sure how he always seemed to take charge without making her feel like he was taking over, but she had to admit it was a good solution. She just knew after the way things had gone down that night that her ex was bound to show up at some point, and she would be quite happy to be able to avoid that.

...

By the time they left the restaurant Bayley was dead on her feet. The combination of the adrenaline crash and food coma left her barely able to keep her eyes open. As soon as they got settled in the car, Finn told her to lay the seat back and get some rest. It was a testament to how much he'd gained her trust over the last day that she was able to do so, and she slept until he gently woke her outside of her apartment. He walked her to her door and asked how early would be too early to call in the morning. She vaguely recalled telling him no earlier than nine before going in and crashing for the night.

She was woken the next morning to the sound of her phone chirping over and over again. She'd received an almost overwhelming amount of texts between friends who were genuinely interested or happy for her the way Carmella had been, annoyingly curious members of the roster, and her ex, who'd sent multiple messages that seemed to go back and forth between being saccharinly sweet cajoling and assholish demanding. Before she had a chance to deal with it all her phone started ringing. She wouldn't have answered it if it hadn't been one of the few people she actually wanted to talk to, Becky.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Good morning Becky."

"Good morning sunshine, now when were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Oh I don't know, that one of my best friends is dating one of my oldest friends? I'm so happy for you guys, but why am I finding out from Dana Brooke of all people and not from you?"

"Because it's new, like just happened this weekend new."

"Oh. I should have known not to listen to Dana. She kept going on about the two of you making out in front of the entire roster." Bayley didn't know how to respond to that, she wanted to simultaneously shout it wasn't true and sink into a hole in embarrassment that even though it technically wasn't true, she knew that's what it had looked like. Her silence was interpreted as guilt. "Well hot damn. I never saw that coming. I'd believe it of Finn, but I didn't expect you to be on-board with the PDAs."

"I'm not. I mean, not normally, I just, um," she searched for a way to try and explain things a little better, but couldn't come up with anything credible so she gave up and admitted, "it's kind of hard to tell him no."

"Ooooh. You are so cute. So how did this happen?"

"He tried to comfort me when I was upset and pissed at my ex, and we started talking, and it just kind of snowballed out of control very quickly," she said essentially telling her friend the truth, but in a way that could be interpreted to fit the version of events that they'd led everyone else to believe. Finn had seemed like he'd wanted to keep everything between the two of them, but it made her uncomfortable to outright lie to her friend.

"Well I think it's brilliant, and honestly I'm not that surprised, you are so his type. You guys are kind of perfect for each other."

"Really? Why do you say that?" Granted she'd already found that Finn was a lot different from what she'd originally thought, but she'd really thought her friends would be more taken aback.

"Your sense of humor, the way you look at life, that whole girl next door charm thing you seem to have in spades, believe me, he's never dated much, but when he has, you're exactly the kind of girl he's always gone for."

"You don't think he's just a bit too serious and intense for me?" She asked, honestly wanting to know.

"No. I mean, yeah he is kind of intense sometimes, but he's actually kind of a goofball when he's more relaxed. I know how he can be when he's going after something he wants, so you've probably seen a lot more of that more serious side, but give it a little bit, you'll see."

"Everything's just happened so quickly, and I really haven't had a chance to process it all."

"Look, I know you, you're probably stressing yourself out way too much over it, but I also know you wouldn't have let it get this far if you hadn't already found a connection with him, so my best advice is just to relax, try not to stress over it too much and give it a little time. I wouldn't encourage you with him if I didn't think you'd be a good fit."

"I know, sorry to rain on your excitement."

"It's no problem at all. I'm always a phone call away if you need anything, you know that, and we'll be back in Orlando this week I think. We are scheduled to work the live events with you guys next weekend."

"I'm going to miss you guys so much."

"We're going to miss you like crazy too. It already feels off you being there instead of with us, but hey maybe the timing is meant to be. You wouldn't be getting to know Finn right now if you had been, and we all know it's just a matter of time before you join us."

"I hope so."

"I know so, we wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thanks, Bex."

"No thanks needed, we all made a vow to change this business and we wouldn't be the four horsewomen without our fourth. We just won't give them any other option."

"I like the sound of that."

"Me too, but I'm not worried though. I honestly think they chose you out of the four of us. They know you are the best one to take care of NXT. Charlotte's already put in her time as locker room leader, we both know that isn't my cup of tea, and can you see Sasha trying to manage all of those green girls without the three of us as a buffer?"

"Okay, yeah that would be a disaster."

"Exactly. I think things are working out precisely the way they were meant to."

"Yeah. I hadn't thought about it that way until now."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to do everything in my power to get that title off of Sasha."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, but I'm taking it when I get my shot whether it's from you or her."

"That's the spirit, love you girl, we'll see you this week, alright?"

"Love you too Bex, I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye."


	5. Chapter 5

She'd just hung up with Becky when her phone rang again. She groaned when she glanced at the name and saw it was her ex. She ignored the call to send it to her voicemail, and was busy deleting text messages when it started ringing again. She'd ignored her ex's calls three times before she got fed up and answered it forcefully,

"What do you want!"

"Good morning," came through in a soft Irish accent and she felt like sinking into the floor. She hadn't even looked at the name.

"God, I'm sorry Finn, I didn't realize it was you. He won't stop calling and texting. It's been non-stop since I woke up."

"Already? No offense, but what exactly did you see in this guy?"

"Believe me I've been wondering the same thing for months."

"Well if he's already making a nuisance of himself, you probably don't want to hang around there long. I'm up, coffee's brewing, why don't you come on over?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll text you the address."

"Okay, if you're sure, just let me get cleaned up, and I'll head your way."

"Alright, see you in a little while."

...

Finn's place was more of a condo than an apartment, and much, much larger and nicer than hers. She had to admit she was just a little jealous. He'd greeted her at the door with a cup of coffee, and she had to laugh. They'd joked the day before about the importance of coffee to her being a functioning human being in the mornings and she was glad he'd remembered. He'd helped haul in the couple of baskets of laundry out of her car, and then offered to give her a tour, and she was more than a little curious, so she'd accepted.

Not that she hadn't already noticed, but she couldn't help but be amazed over just how different he was from what she'd thought about him before the other night. This morning he was energized and infectious, and she could almost see a little of what Becky had been trying to tell her. He'd laughed almost shyly at himself when he'd shown her his office which was covered wall to wall in various types of art and memorabilia-wrestling, comics, a whole lot of Star Wars, and many more-it was a geek collector's wet dream, and then he asked her conspiratorially if she wanted to know something about him that not many people did. She was nervous for a second, not sure what he meant until he showed her his collection of completed Lego sets and she was blown away-it was so intricate, almost artistic, and so not what she'd expected.

She suddenly realized that she truly wanted to know this man behind the wall that he showed to the rest of the world. The man that inspired such loyalty from his closest friends, who was willing to go to so much trouble to help a woman he barely knew, and who secretly spent his free time building such intricate works of art.

"So I kind of want to avoid the roster today, but I do need to get a couple of things done. Would you be up for running to the grocery store with me? We can pick stuff to make dinner here tonight, and if you need anything we could get that too."

"Sure, that would be fine, and, yeah I could use a few things, but do you have room for me to store it for the day?"

"I could probably make it work, or we could just drop it off at your place on our way back here."

"We'd run the chance of running into my ex though. I mean I hope he wouldn't camp out at my apartment, but knowing my luck we would show up at the same time as he did."

"I don't know, maybe that would be for the best. If we are going to have to deal with him then doing it away from everyone else might be our best option. I think we can risk it."

"Do you have some kind of plan on how to deal with him? Cause this is the same sort of bullshit I've been dealing with since I broke up with him."

"Showing up at your place like that is borderline harassment. He shouldn't be doing that anyway, and I have no problem with putting the fear of God in him if I have to."

"He seems to always toe the line between just being annoying and going too far."

"Well I say he's already gone too far, but I think the thing that's going to have the most effect isn't going to be threatening him. We have to make him really believe that he has no power with you, and the best way to do that is to make him think you are well and truly unavailable and uninterested."

"Which I'm most definitely not."

"But he's got to believe it. He's seen the evidence, but he doesn't want to believe it, so he's going to test us to see if he can break the hold he thinks I have on you."

"So back to plan A then essentially."

"Yeah. Essentially. I have some ideas though, just as long as you are cool with me taking the lead, and maybe invading your personal space a little more." The reminder of the events of the evening before, of the tingling awareness of him, and the slow burn of desire she'd felt when he'd held her so close made her heart start pounding a little faster, but she did her best to hide her reaction as she answered him,

"I trust you. You've been pretty amazing about dealing with all of this, so whatever we need to do I'm cool with." She wasn't sure how to interpret the look that came on his face. After a second where he didn't say anything she asked,

"What?"

"You trust me?"

"Well, yeah. I kind of have to at this point, and you've done nothing but help me over the last two days without ever taking advantage of the situation, you've earned it." She still wasn't sure what he was thinking or why he was looking at her that way, but it was making her feel a little funny.

"I appreciate that. I won't make you regret it," he said still staring at her.

"I know." The air was charged between them like something had changed. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but the weight of his eyes on her left her feeling like she couldn't quite catch her breath. It could have been seconds or hours later, she didn't know, when he finally looked away and the moment passed.

"Do you know what you need?"

"Huh?"

"From the store?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Alright, let's go get that taken care of that first then."

"Okay."

...

Bayley felt out of sorts. It was more than a little odd to be doing something as mundane as pushing a cart through the grocery store with him, and whatever had changed between them earlier was still throwing her off as well. Finn kept glancing at her when he thought she wasn't looking and she had no idea how to read whatever was going through his mind.

"Are you okay with cooking dinner at my house tonight?" he asked her while they were in the produce section.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Do you like to cook?"

"Yeah some I guess. I wouldn't say I'm great at it necessarily, but I enjoy trying, and I like being able to control what goes into it."

"I agree and I'd say I'm passable in the kitchen, so now we just have to decide what we're going to make. Any ideas?"

"I don't know. Are you in the mood for anything?"

"How about, in honor of your favorite, we make fajitas?"

"Actually that sounds really good."

"Great, I'll grab the onions if you'll get the peppers."

They split up temporarily to grab the various items they needed before meeting back at the cart and moving on to the next aisle. They went through most of the store that way adding their own things and playfully arguing over what they needed for dinner. They'd gotten three different types of meat when they couldn't decide which one they wanted, and they were probably going to end up making way too much food that night.

It wasn't just their lighthearted arguments either that made the trip so enjoyable. Finn was more playful with her overall than what she'd gotten used to from him. When they were in the freezer section, she'd been trying to decide on whether she wanted to get some ice cream and not paying attention to him when she heard him say behind her,

"I've got a question for you."

"What's up?" she responded, not looking up from her perusal of the ice cream flavors until she felt the shock of something cold and damp on the bare skin of her upper back, at the same time that Finn asked,

"Is this cold?" She jumped and made an embarrassingly high pitched squeak before spinning around and without even thinking she slapped him on his arm. He laughed at her reaction, and the slap only made him laugh harder. She heard someone else laughing and glanced down the aisle to see an older man apparently amused by the two of them, and despite her irritation only a few moments before, she couldn't help but smile sheepishly back at him.

The incident seemed to amuse Finn for the rest of their trip through the store, and every time she glanced over to see him grinning at her her heart would skip a beat. It was a disturbing development and she felt like she needed to give herself a stern talking to before the whole thing got out of hand. She did _not_ need to develop some sort of crush on him. That would be embarrassing, and there was no way that that could end well. She tried to reason with herself, but she never was able to convince her heart to leave well enough alone, and while they did manage to get the rest of their groceries and make it to her apartment without any problems, she could only hope she'd been successful in concealing it from him.

...

When they arrived at her apartment she was thankful to see no sign of her ex. Finn helped her bring all of the bags inside and pile them on her kitchen floor. The bags took up all of the floor space in her little pocket-sized kitchen, and she had to clear a spot near the fridge just so she could unpack them. Finn hovered nearby making her nervous until she shooed him off.

"I know it's not big, but make yourself at home, explore, do anything but stand over top of me." She said smiling to let him know she meant it nicely. He grinned and nodded as if to say' fair enough' and wandered over to the shelves that helped create a natural separation from the front area of the apartment and the back where her bed was. He began to peruse her collection of movies, games and memorabilia. She watched him through the corner of her eye as she finished putting away the groceries. He took his time seeming to enjoy himself. When he got to her old stereo he examined it before turning it on. It was a boxy-looking five disc spinner that had a tape-deck on the front. She'd owned it since she was a kid, but she didn't use it often since she had a dock and speakers for her phone next to her bed. The last time she'd used it had been a night not too long after her break up when she'd spent the night in with a bottle of wine and a long soak in the tub. When he turned it on the breathtakingly beautiful, soulfully soothing voice of Etta James filled the room, and he glanced at her in clear surprise. She was about to explain when she caught a glimpse out the window.

"Shit!"

"What?"

"I was really hoping we could avoid him."

"Your ex?"

"Yeah, I just saw his car pull in." She was occupied for a few seconds confirming that it was her ex's car and when she looked up Finn was staring at her and said,

"I've got another idea, but we have to hurry."

"What?"

"Do you have a robe or something?"

"Yeah, but it's kind of, um, revealing."

"Perfect, go take you clothes off and put it on." She was so stunned she just stared at him for a second.

"Bayley?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, you just surprised me."

"I know, but we don't have time." She went to the bathroom to do as he asked, the need for haste distracting her from having to think about what she was doing too much. When she came back out a moment later he had taken off his shirt and shoes. The music was still playing, and actually she was pretty sure he'd turned it up. He came over to her and buried his hands in her hair messing it up and making her have to swallow a moan of pleasure at the feel of his fingers along her scalp. He stepped back and muttered 'perfect,' and the slight hint of a smile on his face made her suspect that he knew what he'd done. He asked,

"He doesn't have a key or anything does he?"

"No, but if it isn't locked he will walk right in. He doesn't seem to understand post break-up boundaries."

"Normally I would find that very disturbing, but right now it's going to serve our needs well." He said as he pulled her towards the couch. He sat down, but instead of pulling her into his lap like he had the day before he indicated he wanted her to straddle him instead. She hesitated again and he tugged at her hand, reminding her again of the need for urgency. There was no graceful way to go about it and no stopping her heart from kicking into overdrive or the burning desire that prickled across her skin as she slid into place, but she managed to do as he'd asked.

Neither of them could have realized just how much the intimate position would affect them. As soon as she settled against him they both froze in place. Those brief flashes of heat she'd felt before were magnified tenfold. She couldn't move, couldn't think, only feel. When she'd changed she'd left on her undergarments, but had had to remove everything else so that it wouldn't show under the short robe, and the feel of the fabric of his shorts against the bare skin of the back of her thighs along with the unmistakable feel of _him_ didn't help matters. The only saving grace was that at least she wasn't the only one affected, and he physically couldn't hide his reaction, not with her on his lap pressed against him. They both got distracted in each other, momentarily forgetting the whole purpose of their position, and she didn't even try to stop the moan that came out of her when he put his hands in her hair again. For a moment she wondered if he really was going to kiss her, but they were interrupted by the door opening.


	6. Chapter 6

Even though they were expecting it, the door opening still startled them both and they jerked apart.

"What the hell are you doing?!" her ex shouted as soon as he saw them.

"What the fuck does it look like we're doing asshole? The better question is why are you walking in here uninvited?" Finn replied pulling her back in close as if she really was naked under the robe and he was trying to protect her.

"Bayley. I really need to talk to you," he said ignoring Finn.

"What is wrong with you?!" she asked exasperated.

"Please!" She sighed, and knowing it was the best way to get him to go away, she said,

"Fine, but not like this. Go stand outside. I'll come out when I'm dressed."

Once he'd closed the door behind him she made a noise in frustration, and Finn asked,

"Do you want me to make him go away?"

"No. I have to deal with him at some point or he'll never leave me alone."

"Do you want me to come outside with you?"

"Yes, but it's probably not a good idea. If there's any chance of me having a rational conversation with him you probably shouldn't be visible."

"Alright. I understand. I'll be right here if you need backup."

"Thanks. I appreciate that," she said then she went to the bathroom to get dressed.

When she stepped back out, she was walking towards the door, but Finn stopped her. He pulled her up against him and she had to fight the urge to moan in appreciation at how good it felt. He cupped the back of her head, once again burying his fingers in her hair, and leaned close enough that his lips were almost touching her ear. He whispered,

"He's watching through the window," and she felt her heart drop. She couldn't help the disappointment she felt at the reminder that this was all for show, and she knew she was in serious trouble. Now wasn't the time to worry about whatever confusing feelings she was having for Finn though, she had to focus on her ex and finally getting him out of her life. She started to pull away but Finn stopped her again when he said her name. She looked up into his eyes in question and he hesitated for a moment before he said,

"You deserve so much better than what he gave you, and the fact that you're willing to even listen to what he has to say shows just how kind and giving you are as a person. It's a gift to him, one he doesn't deserve and should be grateful he's getting. Please don't let him get away with acting like he's owed anything or let him treat you with anything but respect."

"I won't," she promised and maybe she was beginning to figure out how to read him a little better because his body language was telling her that he didn't like the fact that she was going out to speak to her ex alone, but that he wasn't going to stop her or interfere. She was grateful for whatever force or circumstance that had brought him into her life, grateful that he was the kind of man who wanted to protect her but could also value that she had her own strength and power and respect that she could protect herself. He accepted her answer and let her go so she could go get it over with.

...

"Bayley, what are you doing with this guy? This isn't you," he said as soon as she stepped outside. His voice had dropped low and soft, like some imitation of a concerned friend and she wanted to laugh at him and strangle him at the same time.

"As he said, what in the hell did it look like we were doing? And what do you mean this isn't me. I'm enjoying spending my time with a man who likes and respects me, something my previous partner sure as hell didn't do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and either way it's really none of your business."

"How is it not my business? Am I not allowed to care about you anymore, and have you seen some of the things he's done? Didn't you see what he did last night? He's not safe, he's not a good guy, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"You have a lot of nerve to talk to me about getting hurt after what you did."

"I made a mistake! Are you going to hold that against me forever?"

"Yes! Yes I am. You don't seem to get the repercussions of what you did. It wasn't just the fact that you touched someone else. You violated my trust, you disrespected me and whatever we had between us. There is no recovering from that. You don't get to say sorry and make it all better."

"So our friendship, our relationship, that whole year together, you're just going to throw it all away because I made one mistake?"

"You're acting like that one mistake was nothing worse than forgetting my birthday or pissing off my parents, those things I could forgive you for, adultery is not. You threw it all away when you made that choice, and I'm tired of having this conversation with you. We're not together, we are never going to be together again, we're not even friends! You don't have any rights when it comes to me."

"I can't even be your friend now?!"

"No. I don't want you in my life, and I'm tired of you acting like nothing's changed. You don't have the right to show up at my home uninvited, and you certainly don't have a say in what I'm doing or who I'm doing it with. In fact, this is me telling you now to never come here again. If you do I won't hesitate to call the cops next time. You don't even have the right to speak to me unless it has something to do with work."

"Are you fucking serious Bayley!?" he shouted, and it made her weary because his voice was starting to take on a hysterical quality to it, but still she continued,

"Yes. Dead serious. I tried to be nice about it, but you wouldn't listen, and I'm done." He stepped towards her and grabbed her arms on both sides. She tried to step back out of his grasp, but he had a tight grip and she was trapped.

"Please don't do this to me Bayley!" she wasn't sure if he intended to hold her in place so forcefully or if he was just too emotional to realize what he was doing, but she could feel herself starting to panic until relief came in the form of Finn standing in the door frame, his arms crossed and his face a stony mask.

"Let her go." Her ex looked startled like he'd forgotten that Finn was nearby, but he didn't turn to look at him and just said,

"Stay out of this asshole," before focusing back on her.

"Don't force me to make you do it. You're hurting her, now let go." Thankfully he finally released her though it was only to turn on Finn. He obviously hadn't learned his lesson before as he went to throw a punch at Finn. Finn evaded and let him crash into the wall with his own momentum. He scrambled back to his feet, even though the collision had obviously knocked the breath out of him, and turned on Finn again. This time Finn blocked the punch, and shoved him up against the wall, grabbing him in a choke-hold. For a minute he kept trying to fight out of it though the lack of breath finally caught up to him. Finn held on until he finally gave up completely then released him and stepped back. Her ex slid down the wall, coughing and trying to catch his breath.

When he finally looked back at both of them she spoke,

"You need to leave, and I meant what I said, don't ever come here again."

To her relief, it finally seemed to sink in. He nodded in acknowledgement, and slowly got to his feet and walked away. They both stood there until his car pulled off down the road, and she started shaking, the fear and adrenaline finally catching up to her. Then to her embarrassment she felt hot tears streaking down her face in response to the combination of anger, stress, and relief, her vision becoming a blur. Finn immediately responded wrapping his arms around her and she collapsed against him. He held her until the shaking stopped and asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry. He just makes me so angry."

"Completely understandable. Hopefully this time you got through to him."

"God I hope so. All I can think about is that this would have happened eventually when I really did start dating again, and what a mess that would have been."

"You would have handled it just like you did now."

"Yeah, but this was different. I knew I had you to back me up, and you are fully aware of everything. If it had just been some guy I'd met it probably would have ruined any chances I had with him."

"If that were true then he wouldn't have been worth it anyway."

"It still would have been miserable."

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter in the end because I was here."

"Yeah, you were. Have I told you how much I appreciate that?"

"You have, and I'm glad to do it. Are you ready to head out now?"

"Yeah. We probably should get your groceries back to your place soon."

"Yeah, probably, and I was kind of thinking we both need some kind of stress relief after all of this. A workout would be great, but I really don't feel like going to the PC right now."

"I could definitely use some stress relief, but you're right, I am not up for dealing with anyone else."

"Do you like to run?"

"It's not my typical choice of workout, but it's a nice day for it, so I'm not opposed."

"There's some fairly decent trails around my place, but if we are going to do that you may want to get whatever you need while we are here."

"Good idea. It won't take me long," she said. She went back inside and quickly put together a bag with workout clothes and the things she would need to clean up with afterwards and then they headed back to his apartment.

...

The run really had helped. Finn had been right about the trails available, and the warm spring day combined with the hard run and Finn's easy company had been just what she needed. They hadn't talked much, but he seemed to know without being told that she needed a good hard run and the mindless effort of pushing her body to it's limit to clear her mind. Afterwards she'd been wiped out and concerned she might have aggravated a minor knee injury she'd been nursing. Finn offered his guest room for her to clean up and take a nap, and she'd accepted gratefully.

When she woke up she came out to find Finn in the kitchen getting started on the prep work for dinner. When he looked up and saw her he smiled at her and it took her breath away. She was still groggy from sleep and she had no defense against it. She knew she couldn't deny it anymore-at least to herself-she wanted him. He'd completely captivated her. He was generous and kind with a quiet intelligence that amazed her, and yet he also had an edge that drew her in-a fierce deadliness that had come out every time he'd protected her. She was frozen in place until he put down what he was doing and came around the counter to stand in front of her. He looked at her quizically for a second then brought his hand up to lightly cup her face and asked,

"You feeling any better?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling to reassure him, "I really am, thanks for letting me use your guest room."

"You're welcome, but that's not what I meant. You seemed like you were thinking pretty hard on the run. Did it help?"

"It did."

"Good," he said as he released her.

"Actually, except for my knee I'm feeling pretty great right now."

"What's wrong with your knee?"

"I tweaked it in a match a little while ago. It was healing fine, but I might have overdone it on the run. I wasn't really paying attention and now I'm paying the price."

"You had a lot on your mind, it's understandable. Why don't you sit down then," he said offering one of the seats behind the counter. Thankfully they were the perfect height, allowing her to sit down without having to step up or lean down and possibly strain her knee. It also put her directly across from where Finn was working.

"Do you want a beer?" he asked heading for the fridge before she'd even answered.

"Sure," she said. He pulled one out, popped the cap off and handed it to her then went back to what he'd been doing. For a little while it was quiet except for the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board. She sipped her beer and watched him letting her mind clear itself of the fuzziness of sleep.

"I can help with that," she said and he wordlessly passed off the cutting board, knife and vegetables, pulling out a fresh knife and board to begin prepping the meat. After they'd both settled into their tasks Finn asked,

"Would it bother you if I asked a question about him?"

"No, I'm good. What's your question?"

"I'm just curious as to how you got involved with him."

"I guess I don't really have that great of track record with guys. As Sash would say I'm completely clueless when it comes to being able to tell whether someone is sincere or if they have ulterior motives, and by the time I met him, I'd already been burned once and thought I'd learned my lesson. I thought I did everything right you know. I made him wait until we'd been been dating a little while, and everything seemed to work out perfectly, too perfectly really. He said all of the right things, made all of the right moves, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker."

"It's not always easy to tell what others motives are if they are good at faking it. Did your friends warn you off of him?"

"Not at first, but they definitely picked up that something was off a lot sooner than I did."

"You know I don't think he was using you."

"What do you mean?"

"The way he reacted at the end. I think he might sincerely be heartbroken. He finally realized what he'd lost, what he'd thrown away. I think it's what made him so desperate. The problem is that he's weak and selfish. He couldn't control his temper. He couldn't think past what he wanted in the moment or how it would effect other people. It's almost sad really, but you deserve better than that, than him. You are better off that he showed his true colors in the end."

"I agree. It's kind of what I figured out earlier, well that and that I'm finally free of him. It's a pretty big weight off of my shoulders, and it's all thanks to you."

"Not really, you did the hard part, I was just there to back you up, but I'm glad I could help."

"I couldn't have got that far if you hadn't offered to help me. I mean it Finn. I can't even begin to repay you for how kind you've been, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it."

"I do know, but there really is no need to repay me. Getting to know you has been more than worth, and I mean that."

She didn't know what to say to that or how to respond to the intensity in his gaze. He held her in thrall for what felt like an eternity before he finally dropped his eyes back to the cutting board and went back to work. After a second she went back to work too and it was quiet once again.

...

A/N We're getting to the good part :) Hope you enjoyed, more coming soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this out, but I promise it was worth the wait. It's short too, but this little interlude stood alone and the next part needs it's own chapter. I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it even if it's short.

WARNING: If you are unfamiliar with my previous work, this chapter contains mature content, you've been warned. I'd tell you just to skip the chapter if that's not for you, but I can't promise that future chapters won't as well.

...

She woke up disoriented, immediately recognizing that she wasn't in her own bed, and a few seconds later it registered that she was naked and there was someone else in the bed with her. She could feel panic begin to choke her knowing that could only mean one thing, and she couldn't help but berate herself. Why did she never learn? How did she manage to always get herself in situations like this? If the past had taught her anything, it should have been to never sleep with a guy until she was sure of what they wanted, and even though she knew Finn wasn't like the first man she'd slept with-she was sure that he hadn't done everything he'd done for her just to get her in bed-that almost made it worse. Everything had been going so well, and yeah she'd admitted to herself that she wanted him, but you'd think she would have had enough sense not to let him know that, even if she had been drinking.

She was having trouble getting her brain to function fully, drawing a blank on most of the evening and just how they'd gotten from there to here. Her stomach rolled ominously and she wasn't sure if it was the fault of her current anxiety or the aftereffects of the alcohol. She rolled towards the side of the bed, not sure what she was going to do but feeling the need to do something when she felt him stir beside her.

"Morning. Bathroom's the door on the left," he said sleepily. She sat up and thankfully her stomach didn't give her any more trouble, however the sheet slipping brought a whole new set of worries as she frantically searched the floor for clothes, still not sure on the when and where she'd lost them. Her gasp as she caught it before it slid too far must have alerted him as she felt the bed move. She looked back to see him leaning over the other side of the bed and when he rolled back he had a t-shirt in his hand which he wordlessly handed to her. She mumbled 'thanks' as she slipped it on, not glancing back as she beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

After she'd relieved herself, she washed her hands and splashed cold water on her face, feeling a little of the panic recede. She braced her hands on the counter staring at herself in the mirror and willing her brain to work. Slowly the memories started to trickle in. She hazily recalled enjoying their meal together and ending up on the couch afterwards, playfully arguing over which movie to watch. She remembered the two of them getting so involved in talking that they'd missed most of it anyway, and then her brain finally produced the biggest missing piece to the puzzle as she recalled a moment when they'd been laughing over something and he'd paused, looked at her and then asked,

"Can I kiss you?"

She'd been frozen in place, wanting it so bad, afraid to believe it was really happening, not knowing what to say, and panicking as she realized how much time had passed when he'd brought a hand up to cup her face and leaned in close. He'd paused giving her one last chance to say no, and then he'd kissed her.

Her hands started shaking on the counter as she realized that this was real. He'd been the one to initiate it, not her, and holy hell what a kiss it had been. She had never in her life been kissed like that, never felt that kind of heat and passion from a simple kiss, and at least now she knew why she'd broken that promise she'd made to herself. It would have taken the self control of a saint to walk away from a kiss like that. Everything was hazy and patchy still, but bits and pieces of the rest of their night came to her in flashes of hot kisses, hands on her skin, and clothes on the floor.

She shouldn't have slept with him (she'd only really known him a few days!), but she couldn't exactly be mad at herself knowing the kind of losing battle she would have faced if she'd tried to walk away. She also reminded herself that she'd tried playing it safe before too. She'd followed all of the rules last time, and that hadn't exactly worked out for her either. She just had to hope and pray that this didn't come back to bite her in the end. She would have to guard her heart carefully, to try and accept whatever came of this without placing too many expectations on it.

She looked up in the mirror again to see the reflection of Finn as he came up behind her, and she didn't have to try and remember his hands on her anymore as he pulled her against him and nuzzled his face into her neck. He said,

"Come back to bed love, it's still early."

Instead of moving back to let her through though he turned her around so she faced him, pulled her closer, and then she didn't have to try and remember his kisses anymore either because his lips were on hers. The taste of him, the contradiction of his soft lips with the scratchiness of his short facial hair, the feel of his hard strength pressing into her all left her feeling weak in the knees and she was thankful for the hard counter behind her that kept her from falling. Just as she was starting to feel lightheaded from the combination of the lack of air and her heightened emotions he pulled away and took her hand, pulling her back to the bed with him.

When they reached the edge of the bed he paused and said,

"As sexy as you are in my shirt, it's got to go," and he easily tugged it up and over her head and before she even had a chance to think of a response she was completely naked. The heat in his eyes as he ran them over her left her breathless and burning. Then he was pulling her onto the bed with him and she was sprawled on top of him, bare skin against bare skin, and it felt so good. He ran his hands up the backs of her thighs, over her ass, and up her back and she moaned low in her throat, her skin on fire from his touch. He scraped his teeth across her shoulder in gentle nips and then sank them in right at the base of her neck and it was like gasoline on the fire, turning the flames rising inside her into an inferno.

The desire to touch him was overwhelming, and she finally let go of the last bit of herself that was holding her back as she threaded her fingers through his soft, short hair letting him know how much she enjoyed what he was doing. She tilted her head back, giving him easier access to her neck, and he took the hint, biting and kissing his way up it slowly. His hot breath on the damp skin made her shiver, which only heightened the sensation. She moaned deep in her throat and the response he gave sounded close to a growl which deepened as she scratched her nails down the back of his neck and across the back of his shoulders.

He ran a hand roughly down her back and over her hip until he firmly gripped the back of her thigh, hiking her leg up and pulling her into position so that he could enter her smoothly in one fluid motion. She gasped at the same time that he moaned, both feeling the pleasure-shock of being connected. She wasn't accustomed to regular sex anymore, and their activities from the night before had left her a little sore, but any discomfort she might have felt faded quickly as he moved within her and returned his attention to biting and kissing across her neck and collarbone. She had no idea she would enjoy being bitten so much, but every scrape of his teeth on her sent delicious tingles through her body and goosebumps rolling across her skin. She found her grip on the bed with her knees, beginning to move with him and he groaned in appreciation.

The combination of him moving within her, his hands running hotly across her skin, and his teeth on her neck was more than overwhelming. She could feel her body coiling tightly, the pleasure building on top of itself. She'd honestly only had an orgasm a handful of times before, but she recognized it for what it was, this feeling building inside of her.

He surprised her by pulling away, but she found out quickly it was only to shift their position. He got up on his knees and pulled her back to him, entering her from behind, and they both moaned loudly at the feeling of being reconnected. He didn't stay like that long though, pulling her up so they were both upright and she was essentially straddling him backwards. She couldn't get enough purchase on the bed with her knees this time, but he was more than strong enough to handle it on his own, leaning back a little, cradling her against him and finding a rhythm as he began to run his hands across her skin again. One hand slid lower until he dipped his fingers between her legs and began massaging her clit. The moment he touched her she felt like she was going to explode. Her eyes rolled back as her head fell back against his shoulder, and she could feel his hot breath against her ear. He said,

"Cum for me, love," and as if on command, her vision went white, her orgasm sweeping over her, intense pleasure consuming every molecule of her being. His pace intensified for a moment as he moved frantically within her before she felt his moans of pleasure against her and he followed her over the edge.

She was boneless, still draped against him, her head still rolled back against his shoulder as their breathing began to slow. She wasn't sure she was even capable of moving. He kissed her ear lightly before shifting them both until they were laying back on the bed, and he wrapped her in his arms and said,

"Sleep love. We've got time." Her eyelids were already drooping closed, and she wasn't sure she could have stayed awake even if she'd had to, but thankfully she didn't and sleep quickly overtook her.


	8. Chapter 8

When she woke up she was still wrapped in his arms, the sun filtered softly through the blinds across the bed, and though she couldn't move she didn't really want to. This was...nice. Too nice, but it was impossible not to enjoy it.

She felt him stirring behind her, and his arms tightened around her. He started kissing her lightly on her neck, then nuzzling her with his face and he said,

"We probably need to get up and get going."

"Yeah," she said and started to move away, but he was holding her too securely.

"I said we should, doesn't mean I want to." She fell back against him. She didn't really want to move either. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this kind of affection. She'd forgotten how it made her feel-safe, secure, happy-and she wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

Neither said anything for awhile, savoring the moment, before he asked,

"Shower?"

"Okay," she answered, and he finally released her. She didn't even think about the fact that she wasn't wearing any clothes this time as she got up until she heard him make a sound that was half way between a growl and a moan. She turned back to see him coming around the bed his eyes almost feral as he came up to her and backed her up against the wall between the bathroom door and what she'd assumed was the closet.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, holding her in place as he threaded his fingers with hers, then his lips were on hers, and she was completely lost in him again. The kiss was aggressive, his tongue finding hers, demanding she keep up with him. He pressed his body into hers, the hard length of him nestled against her sex, and she felt almost faint from the pleasure of it. When he broke away so they could breath, she couldn't help the,

"Oh, God," that slipped out of her, and he grinned looking like the cat that swallowed the canary before kissing her again. He seemed to take great pride from being able to make her weak and wanting, but she couldn't find it in her to be annoyed with that because it felt so damn good. When he broke away the next time though, it was he who seemed to be affected. He was breathing hard and he released her hands so he could run his down her arms and over her body. He pulled back a little and said,

"You are so fucking gorgeous, such an amazing, beautiful body. How any man could even want to look at anyone else when he had this masterpiece is beyond me."

She wasn't sure what to say to that, but it made her breath catch, made her want to kiss him again, made her want to do whatever it took to ensure that he kept looking at her that way.

"Fuck, we've really got to get going. Go ahead and get the shower started, I'll be back in just a second."

"Okay," she said as he released her, feeling a little unsteady on her feet as she went in the bathroom. She'd just stepped under the hot water when he returned. He placed something on the ledge next to his shampoo and she realized he'd retrieved her things from his guest bath. She'd barely had time to process that before he pulled her back into his arms, his hands running over her, the warm water adding a whole new dimension to everything. She returned the favor, her hands moving easily over the slick, wet skin as she ran them up his chest, over his shoulders and down his back making him moan in appreciation. He'd talked about how beautiful her body was, but she couldn't help but think the same thing about him. He was so firm, his skin so smooth, every inch of him tight, toned perfection. She knew the kind of dedication it took, knew the kind of work ethic you had to have to to stay in that kind of shape, and it only made her admire him even more.

He grabbed her shampoo and helped her massage it into her hair then rinse it out, and as she stood under the water, feeling him run his hands through her hair getting out the last of the soap, she looked up at him through damp lashes. He paused staring back at her, both of them feeling the electricity that seemed to spark between them, and then they were kissing again, his tongue tangling with hers, fueling the fire.

When they broke away again he said,

"We don't really have time, but I don't fucking care," as he lifted her up, pressed her up against the shower wall, and entered her. Both of them moaned loudly at the feel of being connected once again, as she wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles to keep them in place. He quickly established a rhythm, pounding her into the wall, and it was fucking amazing. Each time he hit home left her shaking and moaning with pleasure, and it didn't take long at all before she was spiraling over the edge, her nails digging into the backs of his shoulders, feeling him do the same, his own moans of pleasure vibrating through her.

They both stayed that way, breathing hard, bodies still trembling until they felt the shower temperature drop a little, and he pulled back enough to let her legs drop back to ground. She was still too weak, and her knees almost buckled, not being able to support her weight. She would have fallen if he hadn't caught her, holding her steady until she could find her feet. Once she was able to stand on her own, he stepped back, and quickly and efficiently took care of washing first himself and then her before the water went completely cold.

They had to hurry through getting dressed, not having time to get distracted again, and when she looked mournfully at the empty coffeepot as they were gathering their things to head out the door, he laughed and promised her they would stop on the way.

...

Bayley was both hoping and dreading that she might get a chance to talk to Finn in the car, but between their quick stop to pick up coffee and food, and him keeping her occupied with questions about what she would be doing that day, they didn't have time to delve into anything deeper.

When they pulled up outside the PC, he stopped her before she got out of the car, pulling her to him in a brief but heated kiss, then they both got out and went their separate ways. They'd already discussed the fact that their schedules didn't line up, and they probably wouldn't see each other, but since she'd ridden with him there, and all of her stuff was still at his place she assumed she would be riding home with him.

It was a strange day. Everyone seemed to want to talk to her, and she couldn't decide if it would have been more or less weird if everyone didn't already believe that she and Finn were together, which wasn't helped by the fact that she was a little confused on the status of their relationship as well. She thought they'd been forming a friendship, they seemed to have a lot in common, and he was so easy to be around and talk to, then they'd taken a hard left into a whole lot of amazing sex, and they hadn't really had a chance to talk about it yet. She wasn't sure what to think and was too hesitant due to her past experiences to make any assumptions. The not knowing was killing her, especially as she had to deal with everyone wanting to know details about her relationship with him. The one good thing she realized as she walked down the hall was that she didn't hear a peep from any of her ex's group of friends and hangers-on. She really was free of that burden,and she would happily take the curious questions over the rumors, insults, and stares she'd been dealing with before.

Right as she was packing up her stuff for the day she got a text from Finn asking if she was ready to go. She texted him back, and they agreed to meet up at his car. He was waiting by his car when she walked up. He was leaning back against the door, arms crossed, wearing sunglasses and oozing some of that 'don't give a fuck' attitude that had given her the original impression she had of him. When he saw her approaching he stood up and smiled and the Finn she'd gotten to know better was back. He walked up to her and took her bag then leaned in and kissed her. It was short and sweet and it made her heart start beating a mile a minute.

"How was your day?" he asked as he went around to put her bag in the back.

"Good," she answered him as she got in the car, "Good, but weird."

"Why weird?" he asked once he was settled in.

"Because everyone was asking me all of these questions about you and I, and it was just last week where it felt like everyone was talking behind my back."

"You didn't have any problems with your ex or his friends did you?"

"No, that was weird too, but in a good way, I guess. It was everyone else that I didn't know what to say to."

"Why? Because everyone thought we were together and now it's true?"

"We're together?" she asked finally addressing the issue that had been on her mind all day.

"What? Of course we are. Why would you think we weren't?" He sounded confused and a little exasperated, which she didn't blame him for. She tried to explain, hoping he would understand,

"I didn't think that. I didn't know what to think. I told you I'm not good at reading people, and I learned a long time ago not to trust myself with this kind of thing."

"Did I ever give you the impression that I was anything like that asshole ex of yours?"

"No, of course not. This is just the first time that we've actually had a chance to talk since dinner last night, and I didn't want to assume anything." He looked at her for a moment then his face softened,

"Yes, love, we're together. I don't make a habit of kissing or sleeping with someone I'm not with. You can trust me on this Bayley, there's nothing I'd like more than to have you all to myself."

"Okay. I'd like that too," she said feeling her heart pound fiercely at the realization that this was real, that he was hers now.

"Good. Now can I take you home and make love to you?" he asked, his voice dropping lower, his eyes piercing into her easily reigniting the flame of desire that smoldered between them.

"Oh god," she moaned just from the way he'd looked at her when he said it.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Yes," she managed to squeak out, "that's a yes."

"Good, I've been dying to touch you all day."

...

As soon as he'd closed his door behind them he dropped his gear and backed her up against it. He cupped her jaw in his hand, tilted her face up, and then his lips were on hers. She felt like she could become addicted to his kisses. The way he seemed to savor her, how he was both tender and demanding, how he could make her heart pound and her skin come alive with desire. He'd started taking her shirt off when his phone rang and he cursed under his breath. He told her,

"Why don't you go get your clothes off, get comfortable for me, and I'll take care of this."

She nodded and went into the bedroom. She stripped down feeling sensual, turned on, and uninhibited, then she laid down on the bed to wait for him. She didn't have to wait long. He came into the room, removed his clothes, and laid down on the bed with her. He ran a hand slowly up her leg and over her thigh, then her hip, and up her side until he cupped her breast in his hand, gently groping and massaging it. She started to reach out to touch him when he stopped her.

"You can play later if you want to, right now just let me love on you for a little bit," he said then he went back to his perusal of her. He trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses over her skin tracing up the same path as his hand until he took her nipple in his mouth sucking and biting gently, then firmer, making her squirm and arch into him.

"Fuck that feels good," she moaned as he grasped the other breast in his hand at the same time, rolling the nipple between his fingers. He paused long enough to say,

"I could taste you all day," before he continued caressing her and teasing her with his tongue. The only response she could manage was to moan in appreciation. Eventually he started kissing across her skin again trailing over her stomach and downwards until he reached her sex. He dipped his tongue in to taste her, and she arched her hips off of the bed involuntarily, forcing him to grasp her more firmly and hold her in place. He continued using his tongue on her with expertise until she was mindless from the pleasure, then when her legs were trembling uncontrollably and she was gasping and moaning unintelligibly he pulled back and onto his knees. He gripped her legs, pulled her forward, and entered her, her legs naturally wrapping around him. Her hands dug into the sheets, and she couldn't do anything but lay there and feel as he moved within her slowly and forcefully, driving her into the bed over and over until she was almost delirious. He'd already had her half crazy from his touch and his mouth, and she simply couldn't last any longer as she came, screaming his name, her body shaking and spasming around him. He wasn't far behind her, and he collapsed against her as she held him steady through his orgasm and then they fell back onto the bed exhausted.

They laid there like that for a while, his head pillowed on her stomach, his body cradled between her legs, neither able to move. When she was able to think and breath normally again she started absently running her fingers through his hair, and he practically purred as he moved his head into her hand like a cat. She grinned at him and continued her petting, and the sweet, affectionate, almost bashful look he gave her made her heart tighten in her chest.

She wasn't sure she'd been ready for this, but she was already in way too deep. In the course of only a few days he'd turned her whole life upside down, but she couldn't exactly complain even if she didn't understand it. She'd gotten incredibly lucky and she wondered if this was karma's way of paying her back a little for all of crap she'd had to deal with before. She had no idea how this beautiful, wonderful man had become hers, but she was grateful for it and happier than she had been in a long, long time.

"What are you thinking about, love?"

"Just how crazy the last few days have been. Wondering how I got so lucky."

"It's not about being lucky. Luck only favors those who seize it. This is what I wanted, what I hoped would happen, and I told you I go after what I want."

"What do you mean?"

"The other night when I told you to go find somebody else to fuck, I was already hoping it would be me. All I'd been hearing about for months was how wonderful you are, and then you were there in that hallway, and those idiots were trying to bring you down and you were just so damn beautiful and brave, and I knew then I wanted you."

"Really?"

"Yes, and getting to know you only made me want you more. Turns out you're even more amazing than everyone said you were. I'm the lucky one, love. Lucky I happened to be there that night, lucky you were willing to trust me enough to help you, and I know you have to take the lucky moments life gives you and make something of them or it doesn't mean anything. Fortune favors the bold and all that."

"This is what you wanted?" she asked indicating the two of them still tangled up together naked.

"More than anything, don't you?"

"I would never have even let myself think this was possible if you hadn't shown me the way, but yes, I want this. More than anything."

"You deserve to have this. I don't mean me necessarily, though I'm glad it is me, but you deserve to have someone see just how beautiful and wonderful you are, to put you first. It makes me angry that you've dealt with so many assholes in that past that you're conditioned to think that way, to think this would be impossible, but that just means I get the pleasure of showing you just how possible it is, and I am going to thoroughly enjoy it."

"Yeah? I think I can be okay with that," she said teasingly to lighten the mood a little.

"Just okay, huh?" he teased back, his grin turning devious before he started tickling her. She was squirming and laughing, trapped by the weight of his body on her. He was laughing too and he said,

"I've got you now, never letting you go." She sobered some, feeling his words in her chest, realizing he really meant them.

"I'm more than okay with that."

"Yeah? Me too."

...

Author's Note: This is the last official chapter of this one, but for the first time for me I'm planning on doing an epilogue, so there is actually one more to go. As always, I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this. Good, bad, great? How did you enjoy the sex scenes?

Also, I'm already thinking ahead to the next story, and would love your opinion. I make no promises, cause I never know what's going to inspire me, but I have a couple of ideas on the backburner that I'd like to hear your thoughts on.

Idea #1: A really epic, ambitious (maybe too ambitious) alternate universe/fantasy based story that involves the demon being from an alternate dimension where he has been trapped for millennia in a spell that was never completed when the warlord he shared his body with was killed along with his mate and family by an evil spirit/demon lord/malevolent god (not sure what I'm calling it yet). He finds Finn the wrestler who has a 'demon' and decides he will do as a replacement, deciding to bring him along with several others back to his own dimension. They share their bodies with the reincarnated spirits of the warlord, his mate, and his family and they have to successfully defeat the evil spirit to complete the spell and break the cycle, releasing the demon so he can finally die.

I literally have pages and pages of notes on this one, but it's definitely way beyond anything I've ever tried before, and really, really complicated.

Idea #2: A story involving a much older Finn and Bayley. They are both divorced due to issues surrounding children (his ex deciding she didn't want them, hers refusing to pursue alternative methods when they couldn't have them), both wanting to be parents, feeling like they've failed/missed their shot at it. They run into each other and reconnect, commiserating over their problems. After a night of drunk, comfort sex results in her getting pregnant they excitedly, nervously try to make it work.

This one has been floating around in the back of my head for awhile, but I have no notes at all on this one, and would have to come up with a better outline/plotline before I could start it.

I have more ideas of course, but these two are the ones I'm most heavily considering as of right now. Thoughts? Either of these sound like something you want to read? Do you prefer one over the other?


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I know this is like really, really, really late, but better late than never right? I finally got past writer's block and suddenly this whole chapter just poured out, so enjoy the epilogue (finally!)

.....

"Finn?" she called lightly into the apartment looking for her boyfriend. They'd both been so busy lately, she felt like she'd barely seen him even though they worked for the same company and she spent more nights in his bed than she did in her own. He'd recently returned from a special opportunity to have a match on a main roster show in Japan and he'd brought the NXT title back with him, something she couldn't be more proud of, but it only meant she'd seen him even less.

Juggling the two apartments wasn't helping. Somehow, even though she'd done it before, she felt like it consumed all of her extra energy. Finn was a fairly neat person, but he'd been gone a lot, and even though he didn't expect it of her, she'd stepped in and taken care of everything, plus she'd been working really hard to earn a title shot of her own.

"I'm back here," she heard from the back of the apartment. She followed the sound of his voice to the second back bedroom that he used primarily as a sort of art studio and workspace. It was also where he often worked on his current lego creation in progress, so she wasn't surprised to see him surrounded by piles of tiny blocks and diagrams.

"Starting a new one?"

"Yeah, found it in the post from Dad."

"I sent him a message that I would leave it in here for you."

"Thanks love. He told me when I called him. He really likes you, you know. They both keep asking when they're going to meet you."

"Um," she didn't know how to respond to that. They'd been together several months now, and she knew by this point if they were normal people they would have already met each others parents, but even though she'd spoken to them several times on the phone, the thought of meeting them made her a little apprehensive.

Most of the time she was confident in their relationship, and she was able to put any of the struggles of her past behind her and accept that Finn truly cared for her as much as she did him, but it wasn't always easy and sometimes she faltered. She was irrationally afraid that if his parents didn't like her that it would sour things between them and the thought was terrifying. She'd become far more attached than she'd planned on being in a very short period of time. 

She knew it was irrational, they were good people, and even if they didn't like her, as much as Finn loved and respected his parents, he wouldn't let them dictate his choices. Still, she couldn't get the thought to go away.

"I know, they're a bit over enthusiastic. I tried to explain about our schedule, but you know how they are. We'll figure it out eventually," he said absently as he studied the diagram in front of him.

"If you're busy I'm going to head out. I've still got some errands to run," as soon as she said it he jerked his head up,

"What? No, love. I haven't seen you in weeks, your errands can't wait?"

"I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow, I have laundry in the wash at home, and I didn't bring anything with me, besides I know you've been itching to get your hands on that set."

"I've been itching more to get my hands on you," he said as reached out and wrapped his hands over her hips, pulling her to him, "Legos and laundry can wait love, this is what I really want. I've been missing you like crazy, and if I've ever given you reason to believe that anything else is more important then let me rectify that right now." 

Before she could protest that she didn't think that, he pulled her down to him, his lips were on hers, and she was lost in him again. The way he kissed her, the way he touched her, how he put his entire focus on worshiping her body, it never failed to leave her weak and wanting, and his words filled her heart until it overflowed. She'd suspected it for a while, but suddenly she knew with her entire being that she'd fallen, that she was in love with him, and it was both thrilling and terrifying.

It didn't take long for all thought to fade away under his attentions as he kissed along her jaw then gently bit and sucked at her pulsepoint while running his hands up under her shirt along her back. She was putty in his hands, and it only took a few minutes before he was breaking away to remove her shirt and bra entirely.

"So lovely, this skin," he said as he lightly nuzzled his face against her stomache then up to her chest where he sucked an already taught nipple into his mouth. She threw her head back and moaned in appreciation as he found the other with his hand and fondled it gently, both actions sending fire through her body in a direct connection to her sex. 

Her hands reached out in desperation finding his broad shoulders to caress, then upwards and through the soft hair at the back of his neck. He moaned in appreciation and her hands moved back downwards clawing into the fabric of his shirt until she got a good enough grasp to tug at it. He broke away briefly to allow her what she wanted and helped finish pulling it off, then he pulled her back to him in another kiss as his hands fell back to her waist and started pushing at the fabric of her pants. They were soft and stretchy and easily removed, leaving her completely naked, and he quickly lifted her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around him, the stool he was perched on allowing her the freedom to do so. She willingly complied then gasped in surprise as he forcefully entered her, having not realized he'd also removed the rest of his clothing as well. 

He set a heavy, fierce pace immediately. He gripped her ass firmly, practically bouncing her in his lap as he moved in and out of her while keeping them both balanced on the stool. She dug her nails into his back in response to his hard grip, but he only hissed in pleasure at the sting and bit her neck in return. Whether it was hard and rough or soft and sweet every time with him felt amazing, and right now they both had a little tension to work off, scratching and clawing at each other as they forcefully came together.

She couldn't catch her breath, too caught up in the frantic pace and the resulting pleasure, and it wasn't long before that now familiar feeling began to build inside of her, driving her further and further upwards until it exploded inside of her sending wave after wave of exquisite pleasure throughout her body. He was only a moment behind her, and she was still shaking as he pulled her tight against him shuddering with his own orgasm.

It was several minutes before they moved, both still breathing heavy as she shakily lowered her legs back to the ground. When she looked at him he gave her a slow, lazy grin that told her he was quite pleased with himself, before he kissed her lightly on the lips again and playfully groped her ass. 

"Missed you so much, love."

"I missed you too."

"I'm sorry I've had to be gone so much lately."

"You can't help your schedule anymore than I can, I know that."

"I know, but I hate that you feel the need to stay there when I'm not here. I'd much rather come home to you here, to walk in and see you. I've tried to be happy with all of the little reminders of you that seem to be everywhere, catching your scent on the pillow, seeing that you've taken care of the mail and the groceries, and knowing you're not that far away, but I can't help but want more love. I know we've only been together a few months, but it doesn't feel right when you're not here."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want you to move in with me. I'm saying I want you to stop wasting your time and money on that tiny little closet you call an apartment and make my home yours."

"Oh god. Are you sure?" she asked feeling overwhelmed by all of the emotions the simple question had evoked. It was completely unexpected, they hadn't really talked about it at all.

"Of course I'm sure, and we've been through this before, I'm not going to offer unless I'm sure. I'm sure of you, and I'm sure of how I feel about you."

"Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good. You're not going to regret this love. It's going to make things a lot easier for both of us."

"I really wasn't expecting you to ask something like that tonight."

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Everytime you've had to leave I couldn't think about anything else, and I know you've been running yourself ragged trying to balance everything. I've even looked into getting you a dog, but I kept running into the problem of your apartment. That's not a problem here though, I've already paid the deposit, and I found a really highly recommended kennel near by, so I thought we cou..." he trailed off as he realized she was crying, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she said even as she had to wipe her eyes.

"Why are crying?"

"Because you really have thought about this."

"Everyday, but I still don't understand."

"I know, it's just, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Oh," he looked stunned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, well I wasn't planning on saying that, but I can't help but be honest about how I feel." When he didn't respond she said, "I didn't ruin everything did I?"

"No. Of course not," he said as he seemed to snap out of it. He brought a hand up to cup her face and gave her a little half-smile, "You just kind of stole my thunder. I was trying to get there, but of course you brave girl, you beat me to it. I love you too." He kissed her gently on the lips then the tip of her nose. That didn't help her stop crying, but she was so happy she didn't even care.

After a moment something he'd said finally filtered through again and she said,

"A dog?" He laughed and said,

"Yeah. I know how bad you've wanted one."

"I have, just kind of accepted it wasn't possible."

"I know, which is why I was even more determined to make it possible. You deserve to be happy, and there's some pup out there who deserves to have you. There's nothing I wanted more than to make that happen. As soon as we get your old apartment squared away, we'll find that pup, yeah?"

"Yeah, definitely. Love you."

"Love you too."

The End


End file.
